Morning News Briefs and Monday's Forecast

Posted: September 9, 2013

By Associated Press

Winchester-Area Weather: A pleasant start to the work week with partly cloudy skies today and a high of 81. A low tonight of 64. Hotter Tuesday, a high of 91, but dry under partly cloudy skies. A chance of thunderstorms and 93 on Wednesday.

Morning News Briefs from the Associated Press for Monday, September 9, 2013

Obama trying to sway war-weary public on Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is hitting the airwaves to try to convince war-weary Americans that limited strikes against Syria are needed for the United States' long-term safety, while his national security team is attempting to reassure skeptical lawmakers that the United States is not heading toward another Iraq or Afghanistan. Obama on Monday planned to make his case for punishing Syrian President Bashar Assad for what the United States says was his decision to turn chemical weapons against his own people — a charge Assad denies in a new interview. Top administration officials are heading to Capitol Hill for more classified briefings. And White House national security adviser Susan Rice is scheduled for a speech at a Washington think tank timed to the public relations blitz.

Kerry reasserts Syria charge despite Assad denial
LONDON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday renewed U.S. allegations that Syria's President Bashar Assad launched a chemical weapons attack against his own people and said that Assad could resolve the crisis by turning over "every single bit" of his weapons arsenal to the international community within a week. Appearing at a news conference with William Hague, his British counterpart, Kerry quickly added that Assad "isn't about to do that."

Syria vote tests pro-Israel groups' influence
WASHINGTON (AP) — Of all the interests backing President Barack Obama's call for Congress to authorize military strikes on Syria, perhaps none is more concerned about the prospect of a "no" vote than America's pro-Israel lobby, which is finding it difficult to overcome widespread opposition to the use of force. Considered to be some of the most influential lobbyists on Capitol Hill, officials with several pro-Israel groups say they are running into rare resistance from lawmakers, even among staunch Israel advocates on whose support they could almost unquestionably count in the past.

Syria adds to Congress' already heavy fall agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress' September agenda, already destined to be tense and dramatic, got worse while lawmakers were away this summer. Now they end their five-week recess by plunging into an emotional debate over whether to launch missile strikes against Syria. That will leave them even less time to meet looming deadlines on budget problems, the big issue that's been building for months. And then, just maybe, they will turn to immigration, the once fiercely debated topic that somehow moved to Washington's back burner.

Tokyo 2020 Games shot in the arm for aging nation
TOKYO (AP) — A half-century after the 1964 Tokyo games heralded Japan's reemergence from destruction and defeat in World War II, the city's triumphant bid to host the 2020 games is giving this aging nation a chance to revive both its sagging spirits and its stagnating economy. "In most competitions, if you don't win a gold medal, you can also win maybe a bronze one," Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose told reporters in Buenos Aires after the International Olympic Committee chose his city to host the 2020 summer games. "In this battle, there was only the gold."

Outgoing NAACP leader credited with boosting group
WASHINGTON (AP) — Months before Benjamin Jealous took the helm of the NAACP, his predecessor quit following clashes with the board and the organization cut a third of its national staff amid declining revenues. As Jealous prepares to step down five years later, he's credited with boosting the organization's fundraising and helping to stabilize it.

North Korea's leader silent at military parade
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waved to troops marching through central Pyongyang on Monday to mark the nation's 65th birthday, but made no public comments before leaving the lavish event. Flanked by generals and senior government officials, Kim stood in a high viewing area well above and away from the sea of onlookers who cheered and held up colorful placards in unison as the troops filed passed. North Korea watchers had hoped the young leader might address the crowd to shed some light on the isolated and secretive nation's politics or diplomatic goals.

Van Gogh Museum: new Van Gogh identified
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Van Gogh Museum says it has identified a long-lost Vincent Van Gogh painting that spent years in a Norwegian attic believed to be by another painter. It is the first full-size canvas by the Dutch master discovered since 1928. "Sunset at Montmajour" depicts trees, bushes and sky, painted with Van Gogh's familiar thick brush strokes. It can be dated to the exact day it was painted because Vincent described it in a letter to his brother, Theo, and said he painted it the previous day — July 4, 1888.

12 children hurt when Conn. fair ride loses power
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — A dozen children were injured when an amusement ride at a Connecticut fair broke down on Sunday, sending the swinging riders careening into each when the ride came to a sudden halt, authorities said. One adult was also among the 13 people transported to hospitals after the mishap at Norwalk's Oyster Festival.

Fan falls, dies at 49ers-Packers game in SF
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A football fan fell to his death from an elevated pedestrian walkway Sunday at Candlestick Park during the 49ers' final season opener at the San Francisco stadium, police said. The death came just after kickoff at about 1:30 p.m. in the 49ers' 34-28 win over Green Bay, police said, and multiple witnesses reported the man appeared to be intoxicated before he fell to a sidewalk.